Local Dishes

1. دۆڵمە

   Dołme

   Dolma (stuffed vine leaves or vegetables)

   Usage

   A staple of feasts and home cooking; look for the name on menus

   Grammar Note

   ڵ is the dark l. The same dish is also called یاپراخ.

2. کەباب

   Kebab

   Kebab

   Usage

   Grilled meat; say the name to order

   Grammar Note

   ە is a short e and ا is a. کەباب is an international loanword with a stable spelling.

3. کفتە

   Kifte

   Kofta (spiced meat dish)

   Usage

   Meat dish known as Kurdish home cooking

   Grammar Note

   Two consonants open the word, so a short i (unwritten) is pronounced between them.

4. بریانی

   Biryanî

   Biryani

   Usage

   Rice and meat dish cooked in layers

   Grammar Note

   ی is î after a consonant and y before a vowel.

5. پڵاو

   Pław

   Pilaw (rice dish)

   Usage

   Rice dish mixed with meat or vegetables

   Grammar Note

   پڵاو is rice mixed with other ingredients; چڵاو is plain rice.

6. چڵاو

   Çław

   Chlaw (plain rice)

   Usage

   Plain cooked rice served with stew or kebab

   Grammar Note

   چڵاو is rice cooked with just oil and salt; ڵ is the dark l.

7. شۆربا

   Şorba

   Soup (shorba)

   Usage

   General word for soup

   Grammar Note

   ۆ is o. شۆربا is a loanword for soup in general.

8. ئاش

   Aş

   Ash (thick soup)

   Usage

   Thick soup; the same spelling also means 'mill'

   Grammar Note

   A homograph: context decides; on a menu it is the soup.

9. تورشی

   Turşî

   Torshi (pickles)

   Usage

   Pickled vegetables served with meals

   Grammar Note

   Names of dishes and cultural terms keep a fixed spelling; learn the Arabic-script form as it appears on menus and signs.

10. سەموون

    Semûn

    Samoon (Iraqi bread)

    Usage

    Bread eaten across Iraq

    Grammar Note

    The two letters وو write the long vowel û.

11. شاورمە

    Şawirme

    Shawarma

    Usage

    Sliced roast meat wrapped in bread

    Grammar Note

    Names of dishes and cultural terms keep a fixed spelling; learn the Arabic-script form as it appears on menus and signs.

12. خۆشگۆشت

    Xoşgoşt

    Xoshgosht (grilled offal dish)

    Usage

    Grilled liver, kidney and similar cuts

    Grammar Note

    The name suggests ordinary meat, but the main ingredient is offal.

13. دۆینە

    Doyne

    Doyne (yoghurt and wheat soup)

    Usage

    Wheat cooked in thick yoghurt; dried in summer and eaten in winter. In some southern dialects it is also called ترخێنە

    Grammar Note

    The name comes from دۆ, the salted yoghurt drink.

14. کەشک

    Keşk

    Kashk (dried yoghurt product)

    Usage

    Dried dairy product used to flavour soups

    Grammar Note

    Names of dishes and cultural terms keep a fixed spelling; learn the Arabic-script form as it appears on menus and signs.

15. ساوەر

    Sawer

    Sawar (cracked wheat dish)

    Usage

    Cracked wheat (bulgur), made from boiled wheat

    Grammar Note

    Names of dishes and cultural terms keep a fixed spelling; learn the Arabic-script form as it appears on menus and signs.

16. کەلانە

    Kelane

    Kelane (Kurdish griddle bread)

    Usage

    Traditional bread filled with spring onion; eaten with doogh

    Grammar Note

    Names of dishes and cultural terms keep a fixed spelling; learn the Arabic-script form as it appears on menus and signs.

17. شلکێنە

    Şilkêne

    Shilkêne (egg and wheat griddle bread)

    Usage

    Home-cooked griddle bread made of wheat dough and egg

    Grammar Note

    Names of dishes and cultural terms keep a fixed spelling; learn the Arabic-script form as it appears on menus and signs.

18. خەروا

    Xerwa

    Xerwa (Kurdish filled fried bread)

    Usage

    Wheat dough filled with onion and walnut, then fried

    Grammar Note

    Names of dishes and cultural terms keep a fixed spelling; learn the Arabic-script form as it appears on menus and signs.

19. کراشکە

    Kiraşke

    Krashke (rice, meat and egg dish)

    Usage

    Rice, meat, egg and saffron baked together

    Grammar Note

    Names of dishes and cultural terms keep a fixed spelling; learn the Arabic-script form as it appears on menus and signs.

20. شۆتینە

    Şotîne

    Shotîne (rice-flour milk dessert)

    Usage

    Sweet dessert made of rice flour, milk and sugar

    Grammar Note

    Names of dishes and cultural terms keep a fixed spelling; learn the Arabic-script form as it appears on menus and signs.

21. شیربرنج

    Şîrbirinc

    Rice pudding

    Usage

    Sweet dessert of rice cooked in milk

    Grammar Note

    A compound of شیر 'milk' and برنج 'rice'.

22. بنکڕ

    Binkiṟ

    Binkir (crispy rice crust)

    Usage

    Crisp layer of rice formed at the bottom of the pot

    Grammar Note

    Names of dishes and cultural terms keep a fixed spelling; learn the Arabic-script form as it appears on menus and signs.

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